As of the 11th June 2022, the NHS have hired thousands of new mental health practitioners to support those with mental health conditions such as; bipolar, eating disorders or psychosis. They will be offered what they need whether it’s a consultation, a referral or treatment, and will be sent straight to hospital staff without needing an appointment at your local GP first. NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard believes that: “Giving people convenient care for mental health is a lifeline”.
About this new service
This new service will offer patients appointments that are three times longer than a standard appointment at your GP. This is so you can get access to the specialist care and attention that you need. For every group of GP practices in a local area, the NHS will be funding an additional two mental health practitioners for added support. This is an extra 2,500 mental health professionals that will be available for those in need. This extra staff will also allow family doctors to focus on routine care and allow mental health trusts and primary care to work together to offer a specific service to patients. Claire Murdoch, NHS National Mental Health Director, said that she’s “delighted to see family doctors working alongside their local mental health trust and ensuring that patients are offered a far more joined up care from a single service”.
Since the pandemic, the number of children, young people and adults being treated for their mental health struggles has increased by over a fifth. This is why having more NHS mental health professionals is vital to save lives and reduce the number of mental health related admissions in hospitals. Since 2019, the NHS has already recruited an extra 18,000 members of staff to GP’s, which means that the health service is ahead of the Government target of recruiting 26,000 staff by 2024. This service is hoped to show positive progress and will continue to grow and help even more people get the help that they deserve.
Almost 500 mental health practitioners including, community psychiatric nurses, clinical psychologists and mental health occupational therapists have already begun working in GP surgeries in England. Therefore, due to this new service, there will be plenty of opportunities for healthcare professionals looking for locum jobs. Athona has plenty of locum roles for your consideration and with new jobs frequently being posted, keep your eyes peeled on our jobs page for the latest!
